One or more embodiments relate to a gate connection structure, in one embodiment to a gate connection structure for use in a semiconductor device, for example, a power semiconductor device. Embodiments relate to semiconductor devices having a gate connection structure with an integrated gate resistor, in one embodiment an integrated sheet resistance.
Semiconductor devices such as compensation devices are used in a plurality of industrial fields. Compensation semiconductor devices are used, e.g., in applications requiring fast switching.
In general, compensation semiconductor devices such as CoolMOS are smaller than conventional MOSFETs, have smaller parasitic capacitances, and therefore offer a low specific switch-on resistance enabling fast and steep switching.
High voltage peaks may be generated at parasitic inductances during switching processes, and, together with parasitic capacitances, oscillations may be excited. Both effects may lead to the destruction of the semiconductor devices or, at least, to an adverse electromagnetic interference behaviour of the device.
It has been proposed to add capacitances for limiting the rates of chance in voltage and current. However, these proposals require increased complexity of the manufacturing process and often need additional chip area, both increasing the cost of the product. Also, an external gate resistance has been widely used for reducing oscillations.